Bicci di Lorenzo Florence 1373 - 1452

Noel Sale, Paris, Petit, 27 May 1924, lot 3;
Kay sale, London, Christie's, 23 May 1930, lot 90, where bought by Willis;
Acquired then or shortly afterwards by the father of the present owner;
Thence by descent.

"The following condition report has been provided by Sarah Walden, an independent restorer who is not an employee of Sotheby's. This little painting is on a poplar panel with fairly extensive old worm damage behind, although there are only a few exit holes through the painting itself and the wings have been markedly less affected. The backs of the wings have a comparatively well preserved ground, overlaid possibly with bole and a darker upper layer. These areas have a punched decoration, as does the similar surround to the central panel. The back of the central panel was also once painted, although probably without any punched decoration, and little remains. Some of the inner surround of the central panel is slightly flaking, as are a few other places in the triptych structure, and the quite fragile worm eaten back to the upper peak of the central panel has been reinforced some time ago with an added strip of wood and extra plaster along the sloping sides. The outer corner of the left wing has also been replaced with a brief section in newer wood. The outer edges of the wings have a certain amount of accumulated damage to the painted surface from constant use. The central Madonna and Child with Saints has one long crack running up the middle of the panel from the base into the Madonna's red drapery, another comes up through St.Catherine's yellow drapery into the lower part of the Child, another short crack by the lower left edge, other winding cracks in the Madonna's bodice and the side of her face, and various little minor cracks by St. Catherine's book and elsewhere. There is patchy wear along the base, by the feet of St. John and by the demon under St. Catherine's feet, with retouching nearby on the steps of the throne.. St. Catherine's yellow robes are rather encrusted with dirt by the right edge but fairly well preserved, with a small old knock by her book, as is St. John's drapery apart from a few little recent lost flakes in the dark madder. His face is slightly thinner in places with rubbing up the side of his halo, and her outer profile is thin. The blue azzurite robe of the Madonna has darkened and has fairly extensive retouching, but her inner red drapery is relatively well preserved, with some thinner patches and messy small retouchings in places. Her face has a single worm hole and the few cracks mentioned above, with a certain amount of wear by the neck, and old knocks in the drapery over her head. The Child is also comparatively intact, with recent tiny flaking in His drapery. The gold leaf is quite well preserved, with slight rubbing showing the bole around the central halo and the right side of the halo of St. John. Essentially there are a few simple old retouchings, including one or two touches of gold paint, and an occasional more recent touch such as those on the steps of the throne, but overall much of the painting has survived fairly well with evident signs of age, and occasional slightly rough treatment, but little complicated intervention. The crucifixion wing also has one rubbed patch in the gilding to the left of the cross, and quite considerable damage to the darkened blue robe of the annunciation Madonna above. The top of the wing has suffered more accidental damage than elsewhere, and the top of the cross itself has some heavy old overpaint. There are also some small retouched losses down the darker side of St. John's red drapery. Christ's face has several horizontal cracks but elsewhere is quite well preserved. The way to Calvary on the left wing has a patch of recent retouching and some wear in the heads of the soldiers by the right edge. Christ's halo has loose flaking, and His robe has a scattering of little marks, with some wear down the side of the Madonna's drapery as also in the neck of the Annunciation angel above, with the top of the panel and its outer edge quite worn. The wings have less decay in the panels themselves and some beautifully preserved areas such as the background landscape in the route to Calvary. This report was not done under laboratory conditions."
"This lot is offered for sale subject to Sotheby's Conditions of Business, which are available on request and printed in Sotheby's sale catalogues. The independent reports contained in this document are provided for prospective bidders' information only and without warranty by Sotheby's or the Seller."

Bicci di Lorenzo belonged to one of three generations of painters working in Florence in the 14th and 15th centuries: he was the son and pupil of Lorenzo di Bicci (d.1427) and the father of Neri di Bicci (1419-1491). Bicci di Lorenzo's early works are influenced by the late Gothic style of his father, whose workshop he took over and continued to run after the latter's death. Bicci di Lorenzo became a member of the Guild of St. Luke in 1424 and it was also around the same time that Gentile da Fabriano visited the city and brought with him the bright colours, elegance and naturalism of the International Gothic style.

This small portable triptych was almost certainly intended for private devotion. The delicate punchwork on the area surrounding the central panel suggests that it was once covered in gold leaf as well and indeed the portability of it may have led to the surface being slightly rubbed. The painting probably dates from Bicci di Lorenzo's maturity, that is to the 1420s, and the typology of the figures may be compared (albeit much smaller in scale) to those in a triptych showing The Madonna and Child enthroned with two music-making angels, flanked by Saints Bartholomew, John the Evangelist, Mary Magdalene and Anthony in the Pinacoteca Nazionale, Siena, which is dated 1430.¹

We are grateful to Everett Fahy and Prof. Miklós Boskovits for independently endorsing the attribution to Bicci di Lorenzo on the basis of photographs. Prof. Boskovits has proposed a date of execution of circa 1420.

1  Panel, 74 by 183 cm.; see R. Fremantle, Florentine Gothic Painters. From Giotto to Masaccio, A Guide to Painting in and near Florence 1300 to 1450, London 1975, reproduced on p. 476, fig. 989. The triptych in the Pinacoteca Nazionale, Siena, is on loan from Vertine in Chianti.